Vacuum cleaning-machine



I APPLICAHON HLED S:."T.27, I919. 1,349,964.

0. A. KALBFUS. VACUUM CLEANING MACHINE;

- Patented Aug. 17,1920.

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O. A. KALBFUS.

VACUUM CLEANING MACHINE APPLICAIION FILED SEPT.27, 1919.

1, 3%9364. Patented Aug. 17, 1920.

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- UNITE-ETD? STATES" PATENT". oFsIc onrvnn .5. xALBrUs, or nammonnmnnimmn.

VACUUM stamina-MAC INE.-

To all whom it may concern:

Be it known that I, OLIVER A. KALBFUS, a

citizen of the Unite d States, residing at Baltimore city, State of Maryland,have invented certain newand useful Improvements in Vacuum' Cleaning-Machines, of which the following is a specification.

This invention relates to street. cleaning 3 apparatus or machines, and its object is to provide a noveland improved suction means operating in conjunction with a brush for thoroughly and expeditiously effecting re- The object stated is attained by means of a combination andarrangement of parts to be hereinafter described in detail, and while the preferred embodiment of the invention moval of all refuse from streets.

I has been disclosed, it will be understood that.

various changes and modifications may be made without a departure from the spirit 3 and scope of the invention as claimed.

In order that the invention may be better understood, reference is had to} the accompanying drawings forming a part of this specification, and in said drawings,

Figure 1 is a plan view of theinvention partly in section;

Fig. 2 is a front elevation, and Fig. 3 is a vertical'section on the line 3-3 of Fig. 2. 4 Referring specifically to the drawings, the

apparatus is supported on two wheels 5 which turn loosely on stub axles 6' carried by a suitable frame work including a base 7 draft tongue or-pole 10. is attached. Over. an opening 14 in the bottom of each com-,

partment is mounted a suction head 15 which opens downward so that its mouth or inlet is located close to the ground. The inlet end of the suction head carries a depending flexible apron 16 extending completely around the same and being of such length as to drag over the ground.

Specification of Letters Patent.

the apparatus is; v

Patented Aug. 17. 1920.

Application filed September 27, 1919. Serial No. 326,905

In each one of the compartments 11 and 12 1s mounted a fan 17 carried by a vertical shaftl8 extending into the compartment. One fan shaft is driven by one of the wheels 5, and the other fan shaft isdriven by the other one of said wheels. As stated hereinbefore, the wheels 5 are} loose on the stub axles '6, the latter obtaining motion from'the former by pawl-and-ratchet connections '19 of conventional design.

Inasmuch as the driving gears of the two fan shafts 18 are alike, a description of one suflices for both. v i

On the axle 6 is made fast a spur gear 20 which meshes with a pinion 21 on a shaft 22 provided with a bevel gear 23 which is in mesh with-abevel gear 24 On the fan shaft 18. is loosely mounted a spur gear 25 having an elongated hub 26 to which the bevel gear 24 is made fast. On a top cross-member 27 connecting the frame uprights 8 is support ed a stub shaft 29- provided with a small pinion 30 and a large spur-gear 31. The gear 25 is in mesh with the pinion 30, and the gear 31 is'in mesh with a pinion 32 fast on the upper end of the fan shaft 18'.

. The fan shaft 18 obtains motion from the wheel 5 and its axle :6 through the hereinbefore describedtrain of gears, and it is driven at a high rate of speed to produce the necessary suction required for the successful operation of the apparatus.

The'frame member 27 carries a support 33 for'the upper ends of the shafts 18 and .29, and also carries a bearing 34 for the sleeve or hub extension 26 of the ear 25, said bearing having a branch 35 which sup- .ports one end ofthe shaft 22, its other end being supported by the frame member v8.

In front of the suction heads 15 is located a rotary brush 36 extending cross-wise of the apparatus and traveling on the ground to loosen up the dirt,'refuse, etc., so that it may be readliy sucked up when the suction heads come over the same. The brush 36 is'driven by chain 37 from sprocket wheels 38 on the axles 6.

.brush in this manner it. is left free to rise and fall, and thus ride easily over obstruc tions or uneven places in the street.

The brush 36 is, supported by beams 39 p'ivotally supported on the axles 6 and convnected at their upper ends by a crossbar 10. At theirlower ends, the .beams 39 have beara suction casing carried by the frame and In operation, the brush 36 loosens up the dirt and refuse on the surface of the street, and the suction heads 15' following behind take up the same. A bag or other receptacle e3 fitted to the outlet 13 of thesuction casing receives the dust, dirt and refuse drawn thereinto' by the suction produced by the fans 17. The apparatus is highly efiicient in operation and it operates automatically, it

being necessary only to properly guide the same along the street. As shown in l*1g,.:3 of the drawings, the front end of the machine is supported by a caster wheel 44' car- 4 ried by the forward end of the trunk 13.

I claim:

In a street cleaning. machine, a frame, a pair of ground wheels supporting the frame,

having separate compartments located alongside each other, an'outlet trunk extending suction heads extending downwardly from the aforesaid compartments, fans operating in the compartments, a rotary brush located beneath the aforesaid outlet trunk and operating in front of the suction heads, and driving means for 'the fans and the brush operated by the aforesaid ground whee1s.'

\ In'testimony whereof I affix my signature in the presence of two witnesses.

OLIVER A. KALBFUS.

Witnesses E; WVALTON BREWINGTON, HOWARD D. ADAMS. 

